Unpopular opinions

[Ryota Mitarai]

Honestly the case can be made for nearly any of the games a legendary Pokemon is essentially thrust upon the player. Sure, some random child can put a stop to Dialga/Palkia's rampage. Sure some kid would just happen to be deemed the "hero of truth/ideals" and awaken Reshiram/Zekrom to do battle with N...

Well I personally like that B2W2 doesn't entrust you with the legendary (although it does give you the 3 Swords of Justice during story) and makes you rely more on what you've actually built, instead of just taking that mon and destroy brainlessly whatever is left from the game.

 

[Detective Barricade]

Well I personally like that B2W2 doesn't entrust you with the legendary (although it does give you the 3 Swords of Justice during story) and makes you rely more on what you've actually built, instead of just taking that mon and destroy brainlessly whatever is left from the game.

Even then they're not thrust upon you. They appear, but you by no means have to battle them to progress unlike my earlier examples.

Heck, the very fact the player is able to bring down the established evil team almost single-handed could be argued as being a borderline Mary Sue. But it's part of the nature of these games being the player's story. (plus the term Mary Sue has been incorrectly thrown about so often it's basically become shorthand for "character I don't like but don't really want to explain why", but that's probably just me)

 

[Zelen]

I think Pokémon Colosseum/XD Gales of Darkness are overrated. I did enjoy playing them (because who doesn't like shadow pokémon) but they aren't so good as games. Graphics were barely upgraded from N64. Character designs were just too weird ever for pokémon standards.

Fights are so slow because majority of the fights are double battles with long animations and lots of them you can't speedrun because you want to catch shadow pokémon... In 3D everything takes forever unlike in GBX where you can turn off all animations to speed thins up. That is also one of the major reasons I dislike 3DS Pokémon.

More unpopular opinions? I didn't like Gen 3 (Ruby/Sapphire) and Gen 4 (Diamond/Pearl) when they were released. :P It took me years to learn to like these games. Gen 5 I did love. Gen 6 I skipped because 3DS broke RNG Abuse.

 

[Worldie]

Fights are so slow because majority of the fights are double battles with long animations and lots of them you can't speedrun because you want to catch shadow pokémon... In 3D everything takes forever unlike in GBX where you can turn off all animations to speed thins up. That is also one of the major reasons I dislike 3DS Pokémon.

Uhm, you can turn off battle animations in the 3ds games in same way as the gb games you know

 

[MZ]

Been thinking a lot about what I want out of Sword/Shield and came to the realization that BW is my favorite Pokemon game despite it not being my first/most nostalgic one, which probably qualifies for unpopular. The thing is, while people are wish listing some ridiculous BOTW-style reimagining of Pokemon, I find BW to be the best paced Pokemon game by far. The worst part of every other installment tends to be how they fizzle out at the very end for all except the most invested in their playthrough. Platinum and Emerald are godlike games but even then, once you take out Giratina/get Rayquaza to solve the plot they basically run out of steam and becomes fairly unappealing all the way to the league. There's no plot pushing you forward, the final areas are some of its worst game design (seriously, compare Platinum's final water route and victory road to BW2's, literally the best designed parts of that game) and that kinda hurts. For all the issues with BW's plot and how you have to circle around and beat the champion post-game, it really works for crazy tight pacing. The game has the lowest leveled main story ending (save not doing Kanto in GSC/HGSS ig) but it's so good at never dropping your interest (unless you really despise the entire idea of facing N and Ghetsis rather than beating the champion) I'd much rather take this smaller experience over any massive reimagining that takes you through this massive region and has a level 80 champion but ends up overstaying its welcome.

 

[Siggu]

Been thinking a lot about what I want out of Sword/Shield and came to the realization that BW is my favorite Pokemon game despite it not being my first/most nostalgic one, which probably qualifies for unpopular. The thing is, while people are wish listing some ridiculous BOTW-style reimagining of Pokemon, I find BW to be the best paced Pokemon game by far. The worst part of every other installment tends to be how they fizzle out at the very end for all except the most invested in their playthrough. Platinum and Emerald are godlike games but even then, once you take out Giratina/get Rayquaza to solve the plot they basically run out of steam and becomes fairly unappealing all the way to the league. There's no plot pushing you forward, the final areas are some of its worst game design (seriously, compare Platinum's final water route and victory road to BW2's, literally the best designed parts of that game) and that kinda hurts. For all the issues with BW's plot and how you have to circle around and beat the champion post-game, it really works for crazy tight pacing. The game has the lowest leveled main story ending (save not doing Kanto in GSC/HGSS ig) but it's so good at never dropping your interest (unless you really despise the entire idea of facing N and Ghetsis rather than beating the champion) I'd much rather take this smaller experience over any massive reimagining that takes you through this massive region and has a level 80 champion but ends up overstaying its welcome.

For as much as I like BW, I never realized if its pacing was good.

I frankly don't mind if the villainous team plot is resolved before the league (as it often is), but not doing so does help keep the story relevant for as long as possible.

Another advantage in pacing, which is related to the level requirement: practically no grinding is required. As something I really dislike from many Pokémon games (Diamond and Pearl being the worst offenders IMO, alongside Yellow) it also really helps because the game does not slow down to a crawl because you have to catch up a ridiculous level jump.

 

[stage7_4]

Black and White isn't paced well, it's just back-loaded. Those two aren't the same.

Don't get me wrong, the finale of Black and White where Team Plasma takes over the Pokemon league is the best in the entire series. And I think having that occur at the end of the game instead of between gyms 7 and 8 isn't a bad thing.

But ending on a high note while having a mediocre middle isn't the pinnacle of good pacing. And Black and White really did need something to spice up the middle. Compare the Rocket Game Corner, the Lake of Rage team-up with Lance, or especially Po Town from the Sun and Moon games. A big interesting dungeon where you face off against either the main villain or a sub-villain, a "rising action set-piece" to boil the tension. But that doesn't ever happen in Black and White, all the big stuff goes down at the Pokemon League.

I guess that Dragon Spiral Tower was supposed to be that set-piece, as N claiming a legendary Pokemon could have been a real moment in the plot. But they flubbed the execution, as N takes off immediately on dragon-back and you're left with just some common grunts (the same ones you've been fighting all game).

Black and While really could have used some sub-villains to fill out the center, because fighting grunts and occasionally N felt really same-y after a while. And what bothers my mind is that Team Plasma had a gigantic cast of character but they barely used any of them! The Shadow Triad, the sages, Anthea and Concordia, so many characters yet none of them really do anything. The sequel solved this, but in Black and White fighting grunts all the time just lacked teeth.

And despite moving the showdown with Plasma to the end of the game, it still doesn't solve the Gym 8 slow-ride. Just instead of breathing easier because the villain plot is over, now you're just wondering where did the plot go. As again, N jets off and Team Plasma disappears without a peep until the surprise at the Pokemon League, so there's no sense of urgency in the plot. It doesn't feel like a threat, just that something's missing.

In short the pacing of Black and White isn't a 45 degree ramp but a flat plane with a gigantic spike at the very end. And yes, that finale was really something, but I can't call this "good pacing" to have the game so back-loaded.

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

Black and White isn't paced well, it's just back-loaded. Those two aren't the same.

Don't get me wrong, the finale of Black and White where Team Plasma takes over the Pokemon league is the best in the entire series. And I think having that occur at the end of the game instead of between gyms 7 and 8 isn't a bad thing.

But ending on a high note while having a mediocre middle isn't the pinnacle of good pacing. And Black and White really did need something to spice up the middle. Compare the Rocket Game Corner, the Lake of Rage team-up with Lance, or especially Po Town from the Sun and Moon games. A big interesting dungeon where you face off against either the main villain or a sub-villain, a "rising action set-piece" to boil the tension. But that doesn't ever happen in Black and White, all the big stuff goes down at the Pokemon League.

I guess that Dragon Spiral Tower was supposed to be that set-piece, as N claiming a legendary Pokemon could have been a real moment in the plot. But they flubbed the execution, as N takes off immediately on dragon-back and you're left with just some common grunts (the same ones you've been fighting all game).

Black and While really could have used some sub-villains to fill out the center, because fighting grunts and occasionally N felt really same-y after a while. And what bothers my mind is that Team Plasma had a gigantic cast of character but they barely used any of them! The Shadow Triad, the sages, Anthea and Concordia, so many characters yet none of them really do anything. The sequel solved this, but in Black and White fighting grunts all the time just lacked teeth.

And despite moving the showdown with Plasma to the end of the game, it still doesn't solve the Gym 8 slow-ride. Just instead of breathing easier because the villain plot is over, now you're just wondering where did the plot go. As again, N jets off and Team Plasma disappears without a peep until the surprise at the Pokemon League, so there's no sense of urgency in the plot. It doesn't feel like a threat, just that something's missing.

In short the pacing of Black and White isn't a 45 degree ramp but a flat plane with a gigantic spike at the very end. And yes, that finale was really something, but I can't call this "good pacing" to have the game so back-loaded.

I have always wondered if it would be a good idea to make a scripted battle in which the player is involved; e.g. a battle where you fight someone, but the system will always make your opponent win. So with this, you could of face N at Dragonspiral Tower and have his dragon smash your whole team, showcasing how powerful he became, considering you have beaten him 3 times prior to that battle.

 

[Tapu Koko Loko]

I have always wondered if it would be a good idea to make a scripted battle in which the player is involved; e.g. a battle where you fight someone, but the system will always make your opponent win. So with this, you could of face N at Dragonspiral Tower and have his dragon smash your whole team, showcasing how powerful he became, considering you have beaten him 3 times prior to that battle.

A lot of kids would get mad when they get said dragon later and realize it isn't an insta-win button. And sadly, in a game based entirely around winning fights to get stronger to win more fights, getting cheated out of a win solely because the plot demands it is bad design

 

[Merritt]

Ever since Gen 2, the games have followed basically the same pattern after the 7th gym with regards to the plot. There will be two "dungeons" the player has to forge through followed by a resolution of the plot.

GSC: Immediately after beating Pryce, the player has to get through the Radio Tower and the Underground, after which Team Rocket disbands.

RSE: After beating Tate&Liza (and Team Magma in the Space Center in Emerald), the player has to get through the Seafloor Cavern followed by the Cave of Origin (RS) or Sky Pillar (E), after which Team Magqua disbands.

DPP: After defeating Candice and doing the brief plot at Lake Acuity, the player has to get through the Galactic Hideout followed by Mt. Coronet's peak. In Platinum this is expanded further with the Distortion World. After this, Team Galactic basically disbands.

BW: After defeating Brycen, the player has to go through Dragonspiral Tower followed immediately by Relic Castle. In a twist on the usual, there's a third dungeon to clear for wrapping up the plot in N's Castle.

BW2: Another twist. This time you go through the two dungeons (Frigate then Giant Chasm) after the 8th gym, after which Team Plasma disbands again.

XY: After beating Olympia, the player has to go through Lysandre Labs followed by Team Flare's Secret HQ, after which Lysandre dies.

SM: There aren't really gyms here, but you've got the canyon followed by Nihilego's world after you beat Hapu.

USM: Even moreso than SM, immediately after defeating the second to last Kahuna Nanu the player has to go through Aether Paradise followed by Poni Island (specifically Vast Poni Canyon) and the Necrozma Hallway.

I don't think this is a bad thing necessarily, but it's certainly predictable and I fully expect the pattern of "post 7th gym, 2 plot dungeons" to persist into Gen 8.

 

[MZ]

Black and White isn't paced well, it's just back-loaded. Those two aren't the same.

Don't get me wrong, the finale of Black and White where Team Plasma takes over the Pokemon league is the best in the entire series. And I think having that occur at the end of the game instead of between gyms 7 and 8 isn't a bad thing.

But ending on a high note while having a mediocre middle isn't the pinnacle of good pacing. And Black and White really did need something to spice up the middle. Compare the Rocket Game Corner, the Lake of Rage team-up with Lance, or especially Po Town from the Sun and Moon games. A big interesting dungeon where you face off against either the main villain or a sub-villain, a "rising action set-piece" to boil the tension. But that doesn't ever happen in Black and White, all the big stuff goes down at the Pokemon League.

I guess that Dragon Spiral Tower was supposed to be that set-piece, as N claiming a legendary Pokemon could have been a real moment in the plot. But they flubbed the execution, as N takes off immediately on dragon-back and you're left with just some common grunts (the same ones you've been fighting all game).

Black and While really could have used some sub-villains to fill out the center, because fighting grunts and occasionally N felt really same-y after a while. And what bothers my mind is that Team Plasma had a gigantic cast of character but they barely used any of them! The Shadow Triad, the sages, Anthea and Concordia, so many characters yet none of them really do anything. The sequel solved this, but in Black and White fighting grunts all the time just lacked teeth.

And despite moving the showdown with Plasma to the end of the game, it still doesn't solve the Gym 8 slow-ride. Just instead of breathing easier because the villain plot is over, now you're just wondering where did the plot go. As again, N jets off and Team Plasma disappears without a peep until the surprise at the Pokemon League, so there's no sense of urgency in the plot. It doesn't feel like a threat, just that something's missing.

In short the pacing of Black and White isn't a 45 degree ramp but a flat plane with a gigantic spike at the very end. And yes, that finale was really something, but I can't call this "good pacing" to have the game so back-loaded.

See if anything I'd call BW2 back-loaded. You have sparse grunt encounters that mean practically nothing until Opelucid gets frozen, the gameplay keeps the game steady-ish but the plot is doing pretty much nothing until then because literally every time you run into Team Plasma it's vaguely justified and there's never more than 2 fights except for the Frigate sequence by the PWT. If Chargestone Cave isn't the "go through dungeon area fighting grunts until you fight a boss at the end" you wanted, then I'm not sure what is. BW is designed so that you periodically get the Pinwheel forest grunt-rush, then the Cold Storage, then Chargestone Cave, then the whole Dragonspiral/Relic Castle/ending sequence you acknowledged. This is what fills out the plot and keeps it feeling weightier to justify tinier individual encounters like talking to N outside of Lenora's and Skyla's gyms and talking to Ghetsis in Castelia. BW2's approach of randomly slapping 1-2 fights for no reason in Virbank, Nimbasa and Lacunosa isn't good pacing, it's filling out a checklist of how many villain encounters you've had to disguise from the Frigate being the only one with any remote substance. And even then, getting thrown off a boat by superninjas and accomplishing absolutely nothing because the Chargestone Cave roadblock had zero to do with Team Plasma leaves something to be desired after, say, Platinum lets you save a girl's dad and get the bicycle after your early Galactic encounters.
e: I do acknowledge where BW falls down is in having just grunt fights, not using the sages as minibosses is a misstep but I feel like if you actually fought Zinzolin in the Cold Storage or whichever one was in Pinwheel forest in BW, you might not have the same objection.

I have always wondered if it would be a good idea to make a scripted battle in which the player is involved; e.g. a battle where you fight someone, but the system will always make your opponent win. So with this, you could of face N at Dragonspiral Tower and have his dragon smash your whole team, showcasing how powerful he became, considering you have beaten him 3 times prior to that battle.

Every time a romhack does it it's completely godawful (Reborn and Snakewood come to mind, although you can technically win those they're scripted to where you shouldn't). Not saying Nintendo couldn't do it better, but this is already pretty shaky ground because of how stupid it feels.

 

[stage7_4]

Not arguing that BW2 is better at pacing (except when it comes to utilizing more of the cast for sub-villains), just that BW doesn't have good pacing.

The problem with Chargestone cave and other encounters in routes during Black and White is it feels less like a dungeon and more like just another route with a few benefits. It doesn't have the same "feel" as discovering a Team Rocket hideout underneath the Game Corner, or finding Team Skull's dilapidated base of operations (and the rampant poverty and depression of pokemon trainers that couldn't cut it and are looking for a purpose in life). Those areas scream "this is enemy territory" while Chargestone and Pinwheel and the others are just routes.

Doesn't help that there typically are regular trainers just milling about with the villains. Makes the stakes seem low when Birdly the bird-boy and his 5 pidgey (and 1 spearow) can hang out with a society trying to take over the world.

Honestly it feels more like Mt. Moon. Take a cave route, add a few villain team encounters, that's Chargestone Cave. The goal never feels like stopping the villains, it's just getting through the route to move on to the next town. And because of that, it feels very meh.

Again I'm not making a case for B2W2 as a better paced game, but Black and White could have benefited from using the Plasma Frigate or something in the mid-game before just hijacking the Pokemon league with N's Castle.

 

[Heracr055]

Ever since Gen 2, the games have followed basically the same pattern after the 7th gym with regards to the plot. There will be two "dungeons" the player has to forge through followed by a resolution of the plot.

GSC: Immediately after beating Pryce, the player has to get through the Radio Tower and the Underground, after which Team Rocket disbands.

RSE: After beating Tate&Liza (and Team Magma in the Space Center in Emerald), the player has to get through the Seafloor Cavern followed by the Cave of Origin (RS) or Sky Pillar (E), after which Team Magqua disbands.

DPP: After defeating Candice and doing the brief plot at Lake Acuity, the player has to get through the Galactic Hideout followed by Mt. Coronet's peak. In Platinum this is expanded further with the Distortion World. After this, Team Galactic basically disbands.

BW: After defeating Brycen, the player has to go through Dragonspiral Tower followed immediately by Relic Castle. In a twist on the usual, there's a third dungeon to clear for wrapping up the plot in N's Castle.

BW2: Another twist. This time you go through the two dungeons (Frigate then Giant Chasm) after the 8th gym, after which Team Plasma disbands again.

XY: After beating Olympia, the player has to go through Lysandre Labs followed by Team Flare's Secret HQ, after which Lysandre dies.

SM: There aren't really gyms here, but you've got the canyon followed by Nihilego's world after you beat Hapu.

USM: Even moreso than SM, immediately after defeating the second to last Kahuna Nanu the player has to go through Aether Paradise followed by Poni Island (specifically Vast Poni Canyon) and the Necrozma Hallway.

I don't think this is a bad thing necessarily, but it's certainly predictable and I fully expect the pattern of "post 7th gym, 2 plot dungeons" to persist into Gen 8.

I don't think that gen 2 and 3 count in this list tbh, at least for the 7 badges requirement. In Gen 2 I would think the pairing of the Rocket Hideout in Mahogany and the Radio Tower+Underground (treated as one entity) would be closer to what you said. For RS I would say the Lilycove Hideout+Seafloor Cavern is the accurate pairing; I wouldn't even call Cave of Origin a real dungeon. Emerald doesn't fit that archetype because you go about 4 places with respect to the teams (actually in Emerald it can kinda work for each team: Magma Hideout+Mossdeep Space Center & Lilycove Hideout+Seafloor Cavern), 6 if you count the Spear Pillar and Cave of Origin.
I dunno, for these 2 it kinda seems like you're pushing it a bit.

 

[stage7_4]

I don't think that gen 2 and 3 count in this list tbh, at least for the 7 badges requirement. In Gen 2 I would think the pairing of the Rocket Hideout in Mahogany and the Radio Tower+Underground (treated as one entity) would be closer to what you said. For RS I would say the Lilycove Hideout+Seafloor Cavern is the accurate pairing; I wouldn't even call Cave of Origin a real dungeon. Emerald doesn't fit that archetype because you go about 4 places with respect to the teams (actually in Emerald it can kinda work for each team: Magma Hideout+Mossdeep Space Center & Lilycove Hideout+Seafloor Cavern), 6 if you count the Spear Pillar and Cave of Origin.
I dunno, for these 2 it kinda seems like you're pushing it a bit.

Rolling off of this, Nihilgleo's world is just as much a big empty hallway as Necrozma's in the sequel, so I'd hardly call it a follow-up dungeon to Vast Poni Canyon.

With this many exceptions, I think this pattern you speak of doesn't really exist except in the broad strokes.

 

[ItalianBaptist]

Honestly the case can be made for nearly any of the games a legendary Pokemon is essentially thrust upon the player. Sure, some random child can put a stop to Dialga/Palkia's rampage. Sure some kid would just happen to be deemed the "hero of truth/ideals" and awaken Reshiram/Zekrom to do battle with N...

Heck, the very fact the player is able to bring down the established evil team almost single-handed could be argued as being a borderline Mary Sue. But it's part of the nature of these games being the player's story. (plus the term Mary Sue has been incorrectly thrown about so often it's basically become shorthand for "character I don't like but don't really want to explain why", but that's probably just me)

I feel bad that I didn’t answer this right away because I do acknowledge that the term Mary Sue gets thrown around way too much and I don’t want to be a part of that bandwagon. (Though we won’t get into my feelings on Steven Universe...the show or the character)

I don’t see the player character interacting with the cover legendary as a Mary Sue moment so much because they do have a story to tell and “unlikely hero thrust into epic situation” is par for the course. Just look at the Tolkienverse.

Where I think ORAS takes it too far is diverting the original’s plot and interrupting your progress to just give you Lati@s at that moment. You don’t even have the opportunity to prove your worth by battling and catching it yourself like the cover legendaries. Also the reworked dialogue just felt like Maxie/Archie and Steven were kind of gushing on the player character, though looking back it might not be as bad as I thought it was.

 

[Detective Barricade]

I feel bad that I didn’t answer this right away because I do acknowledge that the term Mary Sue gets thrown around way too much and I don’t want to be a part of that bandwagon. (Though we won’t get into my feelings on Steven Universe...the show or the character)

I don’t see the player character interacting with the cover legendary as a Mary Sue moment so much because they do have a story to tell and “unlikely hero thrust into epic situation” is par for the course. Just look at the Tolkienverse.

Where I think ORAS takes it too far is diverting the original’s plot and interrupting your progress to just give you Lati@s at that moment. You don’t even have the opportunity to prove your worth by battling and catching it yourself like the cover legendaries. Also the reworked dialogue just felt like Maxie/Archie and Steven were kind of gushing on the player character, though looking back it might not be as bad as I thought it was.

But OR/AS isn't RSE, for better or for worse. And you do technically face Courtney/Matt and a Magma/Aqua Grunt in a multi battle right in front of Lati@s, so I can kind of see where they're going with that. (aside from giving the player a Pokemon that can blast through the later half of the game because it has its respective Mega Stone and the player gets the Mega Ring there)

I'm not saying I liked being forced into that event, (Courtney's creepy "slurp" won't leave my mind... *shudders*) but I can kind of see what they were trying to do. And really, there's not much plot at that point. You've just gotten Surf and the Balance Badge, and are generally pointed towards Fortree, but not really a solid "plot" until you draw near the Weather Institute.

 

[ItalianBaptist]

But OR/AS isn't RSE, for better or for worse. And you do technically face Courtney/Matt and a Magma/Aqua Grunt in a multi battle right in front of Lati@s, so I can kind of see where they're going with that. (aside from giving the player a Pokemon that can blast through the later half of the game because it has its respective Mega Stone and the player gets the Mega Ring there)

I'm not saying I liked being forced into that event, (Courtney's creepy "slurp" won't leave my mind... *shudders*) but I can kind of see what they were trying to do. And really, there's not much plot at that point. You've just gotten Surf and the Balance Badge, and are generally pointed towards Fortree, but not really a solid "plot" until you draw near the Weather Institute.

That’s a fair counterpoint, which is why I’m softening my stance somewhat (even though I’m still not a fan of a lot of ORAS’ creative choices).

Also I kind of realized that your player character could be considered “nobility” (child of a gym leader); Hoenn’s the closest we’ve gotten to a Greek tragedy so far then :p

 

[p0ip0le]

- the ice type needs to get a buff in gen8. badly.

- the lati@s encounter thing in oras was.. stupid. it'd make more sense if it was later in the game, when yknow, blasting through the game with a mega legendary was less overpowered. or maybe if it was really low-level when you encountered it.

- if the dppt remakes don't include a breathtaking render of the distortion world in 3d im gonna cry.

- team skull/the aether foundation were some of the most interesting villains but SM's lusamine/nihilego situation wasn't handled well.

edit, missed one
- xy's story was pretty bland but the legendary cutscene was amazing

 

[Detective Barricade]

- the ice type needs to get a buff in gen8. badly.

- the lati@s encounter thing in oras was.. stupid. it'd make more sense if it was later in the game, when yknow, blasting through the game with a mega legendary was less overpowered. or maybe if it was really low-level when you encountered it.

- if the dppt remakes don't include a breathtaking render of the distortion world in 3d im gonna cry.

- team skull/the aether foundation were some of the most interesting villains but SM's lusamine/nihilego situation wasn't handled well.

edit, missed one
- xy's story was pretty bland but the legendary cutscene was amazing

Ice doesn't need a buff. Game Freak needs to consider making more Ice types with stats that take better advantage of the type's offensive prowess. (i.e. aren't defensively oriented with all the speed of a glacier) It's unlikely to happen, though. (Vanilluxe was a step in the right direction, but its coverage is very lacking)

 

[Hyper Cutter]

Ice could use a bit of a buff defensively, there's "bad defensive type" and then there's "resists itself and nothing else".

 

[Detective Barricade]

Ice could use a bit of a buff defensively, there's "bad defensive type" and then there's "resists itself and nothing else".

But it wouldn't matter as much if more Ice types had more offense-oriented stats instead of trying to be defensive glaciers.

Of course, since the typical Ice type isn't encountered until very late in the game, (and the Galar region looks like it'll be no different in this regard) it's unlikely anything will change.

 

[Heracr055]

This is the unpopular opinions thread, so...Ice sucks thanks to bring a mediocre defensive typing and Pokemon who aren't built to use their type well, and I kind of hope it stays that way. Their existence is a side effect of having Ice moves in the game.

 

[adman2]

All you Ice type fans should play Inverse Battles. It's a format where Avalugg becomes a sort of physical Blissey.

(Does Showdown still have Inverse Battles? I haven't played competitively in a long time. . .)

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

All you Ice type fans should play Inverse Battles. It's a format where Avalugg becomes a sort of physical Blissey.

(Does Showdown still have Inverse Battles? I haven't played competitively in a long time. . .)

Inverse Battle isn't a thing in gen 7 so probably no.

With that brought up, I actually saw potetial in Inverse Battles, but I thought GF executed them poorly. Maybe it would be cool if there was Inverse Mode in the games, where everything is reversed in the type chart? I thought XY had too little battles to justify popularity.

 

[Siggu]

Inverse Battle isn't a thing in gen 7 so probably no.

With that brought up, I actually saw potetial in Inverse Battles, but I thought GF executed them poorly. Maybe it would be cool if there was Inverse Mode in the games, where everything is reversed in the type chart? I thought XY had too little battles to justify popularity.

IIRC it was a format in a Special Season at some point in Gen 7.

That being said, I kind of agree that it's a fairly interesting gimmick that could get more use. Maybe some kind of "Reversed Room" move that reverses the type chart for a few turns?